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Impairments of attention after cingulotomy
R A Cohen1, R F Kaplan, D J Moser
1Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University School of Medicine, Providence, RI 02906, USA.
Neurology
|September 17, 1999
Summary
Cingulotomy for pain may cause temporary attention deficits. Most cognitive functions recover, but impairments in response intention and spontaneous production persist, highlighting the anterior cingulate cortex
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neurosurgery
Background:
- Cingulotomy generally shows no significant cognitive disturbances.
- The cingulate cortex is crucial for emotional behavior and attention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize attention impairments after bilateral anterior cingulate cortex lesions from cingulotomy.
- Investigate the role of the anterior cingulate cortex in attention.
Main Methods:
- 12 patients undergoing cingulotomy for intractable pain.
- Neurocognitive assessments of attention and executive functions pre-surgery and at 3 and 12 months post-surgery.
- Within-subjects repeated-measures design analyzed with MANOVA.
Main Results:
- Initial executive and attentional impairments post-cingulotomy.
- By 12 months, deficits resolved to circumscribed impairments in intention and spontaneous response production.
- Milder impairments in focused and sustained attention; other cognitive functions largely unaffected.
Conclusions:
- The anterior cingulate cortex plays a key role in modulating response intention.
- The anterior cingulate cortex is essential for focused attention.